Data Model
Business Term (BT)
Definition
A Business Term (BT) is a single, semantically defined data element of the European standard EN 16931. Each Business Term has a unique number (e.g., BT-1 for the invoice number, BT-9 for the payment due date), a name, a definition, and cardinality rules. Business Terms are syntax-independent and are mapped to different XML elements in UBL and CII.
Switch to German:Business Term (BT) (DE)
Related terms
Business Group (BG)A Business Group (BG) groups semantically related Business Terms (BT) of the EN 16931 standard into a logical unit. Examples include BG-4 (Seller), BG-7 (Buyer), or BG-23 (VAT breakdown). Business Groups can be nested and provide a structured organisation of the invoice data model.EN 16931EN 16931 is the European standard that defines the semantic data model of a core invoice. It specifies the mandatory and optional fields (Business Terms), their meaning, and the validation rules that apply to all conforming electronic invoices in the EU. Nationally implemented standards such as XRechnung, ZUGFeRD (EN 16931 profile), and Factur-X must comply with this standard.XRechnungXRechnung is the German standard for structured electronic invoices in public sector procurement (B2G). It is based on the European standard EN 16931 and is available in two syntaxes: UBL 2.1 and UN/CEFACT CII. Since 27 November 2020, federal public buyers have been required to accept electronic invoices in XRechnung format, and state and municipal authorities have been progressively included.UBL (Universal Business Language)UBL (Universal Business Language) is an OASIS-standardised XML vocabulary for business documents, including invoices, orders, and delivery notes. UBL 2.1 is one of the two permitted syntaxes for EN 16931-compliant invoices and is used for XRechnung as well as Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, among others. UBL invoices use the namespace `urn:oasis:names:specification:ubl:schema:xsd:Invoice-2`.CII (UN/CEFACT Cross Industry Invoice)CII stands for Cross Industry Invoice and is the UN/CEFACT XML document format for invoices. It is one of the two syntaxes permitted by EN 16931 alongside UBL and forms the basis of ZUGFeRD and Factur-X. CII documents use the namespace `urn:un:unece:uncefact:data:standard:CrossIndustryInvoice:100`.